Catching Up

Blogging has taken a back seat to a busy month of visitors and baby-prepping. We had my mom, Andy's parents, and my sister visit us in the last month. It has been nice to have family in town. Henry also battled Hand-Foot-Mouth for the second time. Apparently, it is something one can get more than once. This time was really bad; he didn't eat solid food for 5 days, which is pretty unreal for our big boy who normally starts his day with a two-egg omelette, cereal bar, and milk. Forget Swine Flu, we were busy dealing with HFM for nearly a week. Henry is back to his normal self.

The weather here in Katy is already toasty. It's been in the 80's, and last week was in the 90's. As I near the end of this pregnancy, I am thankful that I won't be pregnant during the hot summer.

As far as baby news, we are very excited to meet our new little one. I am already 1 cm dilated, so we know that labor could happen at any time. Henry arrived at 38.5 weeks, so our babies like to be a bit early. My mom arrives on the 24th, so I'd be happy to hold out until then, just to make it easier with Henry.

We did find out last week that the baby has bilateral hydronephrosis, which means his/her kidneys are enlarged. I am going for a Level 2 ultrasound on Monday, and we're hoping that the problem clears on its own. The kidneys looked normal when I had my Level 2 ultrasound at 20 weeks, so this is something that has manifested later. We're trying not to worry, but, as with any issue related to the health of one's children, it is difficult not to be concerned. Luckily, we are in Houston, home of Texas Children's Hospital, which is one of the premier hospital systems in the world, so we are in good hands. We'd certainly appreciate postitive thoughts and prayers.

Momtourage

As evidenced by the start date of my blog, you all know that I had a lot of time to prepare for our move to Texas. When we were living in limbo, I found comfort in doing as much research as possible on our new home. Whether it was scouring real estate sites for new homes or figuring out how to get my Texas teacher credential, I formed a close relationship with Google. Last Spring, I learned about Meetup.com and decided to check it out. I am sure most of you are familiar with Meetup, but, in case you are not, Meetup.com is a networking site for every imaginable hobby, lifestyle and interest area. You can type in your ZIP code and "moms" or "dalmations" or "running" and find others in your area who are interested in the same thing. It was through Meetup that I found what is now affectionately known as my Momtourage. The group I joined was for moms new to the Katy area who were looking to meet other moms to hang out with, plan playdates for the kids with, and have social time with. I cannot tell you how incredibly lucky I am to have found this group.

A week after we moved, I attended my first meetup, which happened to be a mom's night out at a Mexican restaurant. Since then, we've had all sorts of events, and many of these moms are women I now consider to be my good friends. I can't imagine what my transition here would have been like without these resourceful, fun, energetic women. So, here's a shout out to all of you Momtourage girls--thank you for making my transition to TX living that much better!

Big Boy Bed

Since I posted about the nursery, I only felt it was right to also post some shots of Henry in his big boy dog-themed bed. We made the transition in January, in order to give ample transition time before the baby arrives. Henry loves his bed!

Roping a Steer

I Live in Texas

I still have these moments that creep up at odd times as I go about my daily life where I stop and remember that I live in Texas. A statement of the obvious, yes, but one that is still sort of hard for me to believe. Andy left for a short trip to Chicago today, which has me thinking about what he's seeing and doing or, rather, what I am not seeing and doing. Unlike me, he can go back, unfazed. He doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about the oddities of visiting a place where he used to live. I, on the other hand, can't get past the way the city exists both changing and unchanged, in spite of my absence. Most of the time, I am happy here. We're making friends and finding our way. But, I still don't feel like this is home. I am not sure I want it to feel like home, if that makes sense. Although, it sure would be easier if I just let it. Maybe I am a bit homesick. Maybe all this nesting I have been doing, this attempt to create a home for this new baby, highlights how I have not made the jump to calling this "house" my "home." And while I love having the space and the ease of lifestyle that living here affords me, I miss the City of Big Shoulders, the promise of Spring after a long winter, and the 1600 square feet of home I left back on Racine.

Nursery Time

Nesting has hit me full-force, and Baby Zone's nursery is just about done. It's hard to imagine we'll meet our new little one in a couple of months!

Finger Painting Fun

It's been beautiful here, so I decided to let Henry have at it with some backyard finger painting!